A review by bisexualwentworth
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I am finally continuing my Discworld read-through!

I've definitely read this one before, but I did not remember the second half at all. Did I not actually finish it? Did I read it in a haze because I was going through traumatic life events at the time? Unclear.

Anyway, this book is so much better than The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic that's it's kind of wild. There are still some bumpy bits. Pratchett is still working on fleshing out the world and figuring out exactly what it's for, and the big conflict that shows up in act three is kind of whatever, but this is the book in which Discworld stops being a silly fantasy parody series and starts becoming a rich tapestry of stories and characters and explorations of real-world themes through that signature Terry Pratchett wit.

I kind of wish we got more of Eskarina. She's interesting and then she's barely in any of the other books. Possibly just I Shall Wear Midnight but I could be wrong.

I love the introduction of Granny Weatherwax. She truly is one of the best parts of this world. Everything from her poor spelling to her headology to her moments of unbelievable power. I'm so excited to spend more time with her in other books. I'm glad she's in so many, some of which I haven't read before.

Favorite quotes/moments/misc reactions while reading:

•  "Front doors in Bad Ass were used only by brides and corpses, and Granny had always avoided becoming either."
• "'They're both magic. If you can't learn to ride an elephant, you can at least learn to ride a horse.'
  'What's an elephant?'
  'A kind of badger,' said Granny. She hadn't maintained forest-credibility for forty years by ever admitting ignorance."
• "Their wills clanged like cymbals and the air between them thickened. But Granny had spent a lifetime bending recalcitrant creatures to her bidding and, while Esk was a surprisingly strong opponent, it was obvious that she would give in before the end of the paragraph."
• It was just said that Granny's "grasp of geography was slightly worse than her grasp of subatomic physics." Me too.
• Absolutely wild talk of a "feminine code" involving lots of eye contact. Esk feels very autistic here. And queer also but separately. (And I absolutely stand by this.)
• "Granny, meanwhile, was two streets away. She was also, by the standards of other people, lost. She would not see it like that. She knew where she was, it was just that everywhere else didn't."
• Some incredibly unnecessary anti-Romani sentiment comes out of nowhere about a third of the way in. I don't like it.
• "Granny had nothing against fortune-telling provided it was done badly by people with no talent for it. It was a different matter if people who ought to know better did it, though. She considered that the future was a frail enough thing at best, and if people looked at it hard they changed it."
• Granny says that million-to-once chances "crop up nine times out of ten" and that's so true in fantasy.

Overall I think this book holds up and is a possible introduction to this world for anyone who likes witches and wants to get into the series.